236 REMARKS ON THE MAGNOLIA. 



in distance. The flowers are produced at the ends of the hranches, 

 and are so large as to measure from seven to eight inches in diameter, 

 and are composed of eight or ten petals, narrow at their base, but 

 broad, rounded, and a little waved. They spread open like a tulip, 

 and have the appearance of white kid leather more than of a vegeta- 

 ble substance. In its native country this tree begins to flower in 

 May, and gives out a succession during the whole summer, so that 

 the woods are constantly perfumed with its odour. The pencil can 

 give but a faint idea of the splendour of this beautiful tree, which 

 defies the pen altogether to describe its charms ; its leaves are more 

 glossy than those of the laurel, and from nine to ten inches in length, 

 and about three inches in breadth, with a softness on the underside, 

 that gives great variety to the foliage. The young branches are of a 

 fine purplish brown, and when each spray, for a hundred feet in 

 height, is holding up its petaled vase, as if to offer incense to the sun 

 that nourishes its fruit, a mass of beauty is composed, that rivals the 

 proudest work of man. 



The fruit of the magnolia is seated in the flower in a manner simi- 

 lar to the strawberry, which afterwards becomes a strobile or cone, 

 composed of many capsules, each of which, when perfect, contains 

 two scarlet seeds. We are not aware that the fruit has ever^ matured 

 its seed in this country, though we have seen some old plants that 

 have formed strobiles of considerable size. 



This splendid plant received the title of magnolia from Plumicr, 

 who so named it in honour of Pierre Magnol, prefect of the botanic 

 garden at Montpelier, and author of several works on plants. 



Sir John Colliton is thought to have reared the first plant of this 

 kind in England, at Exmouth, in Devonshire, some time prior to 

 1137. It was unknown to Mr. Miller, in 1724, when he published 

 the first edition of his Gardener's and Florist's Dictionary ; but in a 

 later edition, he mentions that there were a great many plants in 

 England before the year 1739, but the severe winter of that year de- 

 stroyed most of the young ones. He also tells us, that he had a pretty 

 large plant which was apparently killed by the severe winter of 

 1739-40, but that he cut it down after Midsummer, and that it shot 

 up again the year following. We notice this circumstance more par- 

 ticularly, because in case of similar accidents, gardeners may not be 



